A Helping Hand
by Scififan33
Summary: As the Dementors swoop in on Harry and Dudley a stranger steps in to save them by killing the Dementors, something that is meant to be impossible to do. Just what is Kisuke Urahara and why is he willing to help?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach or Harry Potter. _

_Looking for ideas for a Zanpakutō for Harry, I've seen others use Muramasa, another where he had Benihime which really wouldn't work here, so suggestions? If I used Muramasa, I'd be basing it off other stories I've read. Do I give him an original one in which case I really need help with a name and abilities. If you suggest a known Zanpakutō then it can't be one currently in use, so one used by someone who is dead by the time this story is set. _

_Setting the Dementor attack earlier in the summer than is cannon._

_No pairings really picked yet so suggestions welcome_

**Chapter 1**

Kisuke wandered the streets, curious. He'd never been to England before and he hadn't planned on coming now. However, odd readings had led to the concern that Aizen might be attempting to create a base away from the areas they usually monitored. With Ichigo off training with Shinji and the others he had less on his hands than many others and so had agreed to come. Tessai could watch the kids, not just the two who lived with them, while he was gone. Yoruichi was keeping an eye on things in Soul Society, just to be safe. He had gotten many strange looks for his clothing and footwear, but it didn't bother him at all, he cared little about what others thought of him. To him this place was strange, the houses all looked identical! Street after street, it was more than a little creepy actually. It made him miss his shop, hopefully this would be a quick mission and then he could go home.

He walked passed a rather dilapidated park only to pause as he heard the sound of raised voices, teenaged males to be precise. He knew those tones, those of taunting and triumph. Sighing, he resettled his hat and entered the park, walking towards the noise to see a damaged swing set and a group of boys surrounding something or someone. Stretching out his senses he decided their prey was definitely a person and he moved closer to listen.

"Five against one, very brave."

"Well, you're one to talk. Moaning in your sleep every night? At least I'm not afraid of my pillow. "Don't kill Cedric."" A second voice spoke up and Kisuke frowned at the words.

"Who's Cedric, your boyfriend?"

"Shut up," the first voice, the boy in the middle, snapped.

"He's going to kill me, Mum." The second voice taunted. "Where is your mum?"

"Where is your mum, Potter?" a third boy sniggered.

"She dead?"

"Is she dead?"

"Is she a dead Pott...?"

He'd heard enough. Kisuke walked closer and allowed his cane to actually make a tapping noise as he walked towards them, seeing a boy at the back turn and spot him, eyes widening. He hissed at his compatriots and several more turned, sneering when they saw his strange, to them, clothing. "Good evening gentleman, what seems to be the trouble?" he asked cheerfully and then he got a look inside the circle. In the middle was another boy, bruises already blooming on his skin. "Ah…well, this won't do at all," he told them just as cheerfully even as he felt a flash of anger. It appeared he had been listening to Ichigo far too much, once he would have kept on walking as it was none of his business, now such a sight angered him. The smarter boys picked up on that, shifting nervously. "I suggest you run along home," he warned, and the group broke up as he let out a little spiritual power, even those humans without it should sense the danger and they did. All but one ran off, the boy who remained looked more like an overly large pig or small whale.

He watched the injured boy push back to his feet, adjusting damaged glasses, to eye him warily. "Get out of here Dudley," the boy snapped at the other who sneered.

"Shut up."

Green eyes rolled behind glasses. "Idiot," he muttered before looking back at Kisuke who smiled at them. of course that was when the temperature plummeted from a hot summers day to so cold their breath was fogging up. Kisuke stiffened and looked around, that was not natural.

"What's going on? What are you doing?" the large boy whirled on the smaller.

"I'm not doing anything," he snapped, looking around wildly and then green eyes went wide in fear. "We need to get out of here!" he grabbed the other boy and started pulling his arm. "Run Mister!"

Kisuke turned to see what the boy had and frowned, Hollows? No…not quite. Whatever they were, they were obviously the cause in the weather changing and the growing feeling of despair which he easily shrugged off. The two boys weren't as lucky, the large one falling to his knees and the other sweating, panting, but he was still on his feet, fumbling in his pocket for something.

Kisuke drew Benihime from his cane, eyeing the two things as they flew towards them. they wore tattered grey robes, their faces hooded, moving quite fast but not fast enough. Kisuke moved into Shunpo, meeting them in the air. Benihime swung twice and then he was landing in front of the boys as two shredded, empty robes fluttered to the ground. The sky cleared and the temperature began to rise.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry's hands balled into fists as Dudley and his gang taunted him about Cedric and his parents. How dare they! He felt his magic, unused all summer, sizzling under his skin. He caught a glimpse of someone approaching and then Denis turned at the sound of tapping.

"An adult's coming," he hissed in warning and they all looked back, sneering at him and Harry had to admit he was dressed oddly.

A wizard? He tensed a little and then green eyes met grey before the man spoke, warning Dudley and his gang off. He felt something….magic? the other's ran off, leaving only Dudley behind and Harry got to his feet. "Get out of here Dudley," he snapped at Dudley who sneered.

"Shut up."

Green eyes rolled behind glasses. "Idiot," he muttered before looking back at the stranger who smiled at them. That was when the summer heatwave came to a very abrupt end, the sky turning black as their breath began to fog and Harry froze in terror for a split second. He saw the stranger stiffen and look around.

"What's going on? What are you doing?" Dudley demanded, reaching for him and Harry shifted back out of reach.

"I'm not doing anything," he snapped, looking around wildly and then green eyes went wide in fear as he spotted the two rapidly approaching forms. "We need to get out of here!" he grabbed Dudley and started pulling his arm. "Run Mister!" he yelled at the stranger, not wanting him to be Kissed after he had helped him. He scrambled for his wand, Statue or no Statue he couldn't let that happen to the man or his cousin. His jaw dropped as suddenly the man pulled a sword from his cane and vanished, seconds later he reappeared in front of them, his back to them, even as the unnatural weather cleared and Harry gasped as what was left of the Dementors floated to the ground. How…Who… the man sheathed his sword and turned to them and Dudley decided that was enough for him and fainted, despite not having seen the Dementors.

"Alright there?" the man asked before glancing down and seeing his wand which Harry didn't bother hiding since he had to be a wizard, right? Maybe a foreign one? His English did sound accented after all.

"Thanks," he forced out of a dry mouth and the man smiled, cheerful again. "How did you do that? Kill the Dementors?"

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Dementors? An interesting name. this boy could obviously see the creatures, though a stick? He puzzled it over before remembering. "Ah! You would be a wizard then?" he asked, and the boy nodded, wary again. "Where are my manners, Kisuke Urahara at your service," he bowed politely, remembering to put his name in the correct order for the language.

"Harry Potter, Sir. Sleeping Beauty is my cousin, Dudley Dursley."

"A pleasure to meet you. Perhaps I should help you get him home?" he offered, curious to see what he could learn from the boy. He felt…strange to his senses. He had considerable Spiritual power, although he seemed unaware of it. Potter hesitated but then nodded so Kisuke simply hefted the other boy up and indicated for him to lead the way. To his surprise they soon crossed over a barrier of some kind, although it was weak. They then approached one of the houses but instead of opening the door the boy knocked and then stepped back. It soon opened to reveal a rather horse-like woman who sneered on seeing Potter before she saw the boy Kisuke was holding and her eyes went wide.

"DUDLEY! What have you done to my son!"

"Ah, it seems young Dudley overdid it in this horrible heat. Perhaps you should ensure he carries a water bottle on such days to remain hydrated," Kisuke offered kindly, stopping her in her tracks. "Perhaps some rest on a couch and plenty of fluids, if he still feels poorly in a few hours a call to the doctor may be in order." The boy was soon on the couch being coddled by his Mother and Kisuke glanced at Potter, nodding to the door and the boy nodded, slipping outside with him. They walked down the path in silence and Kisuke watched Potter relax as they got further from the house. "Your Aunt is rather loud," he commented, and Potter snorted.

"Yeah, try living with her and my Uncle's even worse," the boy told him and Kisuke saw the way he briefly rubbed his arm where he had spotted bruises. Once they were away from possible eavesdroppers the boy looked at him. "How did you kill the Dementors, it's meant to be impossible."

"And what is a Dementor Potter-san?"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He was grateful for the man stepping in with his Aunt, not that he thought it would last, not once Dudley woke up and blamed him. Still it was nice to have an adult stand up for him for once. His opinion of his Aunt was amusing too. He knew his watchdogs would be mad at him for leaving the wards with a stranger, but he didn't feel like a threat. Harry was a pretty good judge of character when he listened to his instincts, it was when he ignored them that he trusted the wrong person. He glanced at the man, Kisuke Urahara, definitely a foreign name. "How did you kill the Dementors, it's meant to be impossible."

"And what is a Dementor Potter-san?"

Potter-san? Never mind, was he serious? "Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them... Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself... soulless and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. They can also consume a person's soul, leaving their victims in a permanent vegetative state, and thus are often referred to as "soul-sucking fiends", rendering a person an 'empty-shell'," Harry quoted Lupin's description on the creatures practically verbatim, he'd memorised it given their effect on him. They were back at the park, so he sat on one of the few remaining benches, watching the strange foreign wizard.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He listened to the boys explanation of what the creatures had been. They sounded very similar to Hollow's, although having more effect on people around them if they could suck out happy emotions and memories without eating the soul. "I see. Then how do you defend yourself?"

"There's a spell, the Patronus Charm, but it's very hard to master," Potter shrugged. "If you hadn't been there I would have used it, even if it broke the law."

"It is against the law to protect yourself?" If they had such creatures surely the law would take self-defence into account?

"I'm under age, was in public where anyone could have seen, and the Ministry's been ripping my reputation apart all summer…I probably would have ended up in front of the Wizengamot." That didn't sound at all bitter.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry had no doubt he'd be dragged up on charges and his wand snapped. Those in power either didn't want to know the truth or already knew and were glad the monster was back. Not one person had attempted to stop Fudge from his attacks on Harry and Dumbledore or even question him on what had happened.

He'd been in contact with both Sirius, Remus and the goblins during Fourth year, thanks to Dobby. He'd learnt far more than Dumbledore would have allowed, then again he'd always been good at that. He'd spent his whole life hiding his intellect, first because of the Dursley's and then because Hermione had to be the best and Ron didn't want him to be better than him. Once he'd received his Father's cloak he'd spent many nights in the library, hidden under it, reading things he couldn't during the day. He wasn't the naïve, trusting boy he let them think he was, he never would have survived the Dursley's if he was.

"How can you not know…unless you're not a Wizard?" he felt the warmth of his wand from where it now rested in his hand, hidden by the too long sleeves of his cousins cast offs, his magic humming, begging to be used. If he had to, he would defend himself, but there was something about this strange man that felt safe.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Kisuke watched the young wizard, seeing his fingers curl slightly, holding something…ah, his wand, of course. This boy intrigued him, there was something strange about him. He'd run into a few wizards after a century of exile, but none felt like this boy. Not one of them had felt so powerful and yet…there it was, the power was unstable in a way he hadn't seen before. He tensed slightly in alarm as he felt it…a parasitic, evil, presence borrowed into the teen's. That would need to be dealt with. "I have lodgings nearby, perhaps this is a conversation better had there," he offered, adjusting his hat and almost laughing at the suspicious look on Potters face. "I assure you; I have no intent to harm you."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry considered his options, there was no way Aunt Petunia would let him back in the house tonight. Not unless his guard insisted on it and he'd kept careful watch on those who watched him. Tonight was the drunk, and he was pretty sure the idiot had abandoned his post hours ago. Remus was the only other guard he was safe to act around, as long as Harry was safe then the werewolf would let him do as he pleased, if he left then Moony simply followed at his shoulder, guarding him on the move. The most difficult was Moody due to his stupid eye. Remus had given him a list and schedule for all of the guards and had told him they all belonged to the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's version of the Death Eater's, although lacking the tattoo. He didn't trust them or Dumbledore, although he didn't count Sirius or Remus in that. Both men had failed him a lot in his life, but at the end of third year they had sworn never again, made an oath in blood and magic, and he believed it. Now here was a stranger who wielded power he'd never imagined, had saved him, yes…he would go with him. Harry nodded and the man grinned cheerily, leading him away from his prison.

_TBC…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

_Had some interesting suggestions for a Zanpakutō for Harry. Since I'm using Nejibana in Tide, I'd prefer not to use her again here. There have been suggestions of using the Hallows to make one, or a wind type one due to his love of flying. _

_Only one pairing suggestion and that was Kisuke/Harry_

**Chapter 2**

Kisuke was content to let the boy look around the room he had rented for his stay. He could have come without the gigai but even then, he needed rest and why not rest in a nice hotel? He ordered room service; it wouldn't do for the boy to faint from hunger while they were speaking. Dealing with Ichigo and friends had forced him to pay more attention to human needs, something he once ignored. He may technically own a candy store, but it wasn't exactly popular and that was how he had preferred it, all it was, was a cover for the humans while he worked in his lab and supplied visiting Shinigami. He accepted the food when it was delivered and then took a seat. "Please, help yourself," he offered, and the boy hesitantly sat near him and took a sandwich. He could see how Potter held back while eating and he wondered if perhaps he was skinny for a darker reason than being in a growth spurt. He took one for himself to keep the boy from feeling self-conscious and then poured tea for them both.

"Are you going to answer my question?"

He was rather tenacious, just like Ichigo. There appeared to be many similarities between them, at least this boy didn't have a madman after him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry fought the urge to stuff himself on the sandwiches, he knew better than to eat too fast or too much after time at the Dursley's. He then sipped at the tea he was given and found it to be perfectly made, though not a flavour he was familiar with. "Are you going to answer my question?"

"Very well, Potter-san. May I ask, what do you know of Japan?" He snapped open a fan, surprising Harry, it was a rather…eccentric look.

"Not much," he shrugged. "Other than being enemies in World War II which I learnt in primary school. There's never been any mention at Hogwarts even though we had students from the French and German schools last year. My relatives aren't…fond of anything foreign."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

That didn't surprise him. Though it was sad that he was learning so little of the world at magic school. "I see," he used the fan to hide his face as he considered what to tell the boy. Seireitei did not like its secrets being told to the living. However, leaving a living soul with an evil soul parasite attached was not really an option. Who knew what it would do to Potter's own soul while alive or after he died? He needed to gain enough trust for Potter to allow him to remove his soul from his body and attempt to separate them…something better done in his lab and not a hotel. "Out of curiosity, how old are you?"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry blinked at the seemingly sudden change in topic but decided to answer. "I'll be fifteen at the end of July." He sighed when there was a faint flash of surprise. "I know, I'm short for my age, I'm working in it." Remus, through Dobby, had sourced a supplier of healing and nutrient potions for him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He wasn't even a full year younger than Ichigo and yet he looked closer to thirteen. "I see," sort of, did he mean he was hoping for a growth spurt or was it magic? Perhaps they had ignored the Wizards for too long. "Very well then. I am what is called a Shinigami."

,,,,,,,,,,,

Interesting, what, not who. Was he implying he wasn't human? Like a Veela? Shinigami… "And a Shinigami is?" he watched the man closely; he had the feeling that he didn't believe in straight answers unless there was no other choice.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Kisuke smirked, so he had picked up the difference in his wording. "The most often used translation is 'Death God', however that is not accurate. We are not gods. We are spiritual beings, guardians of the souls who are going through the circle of transmigration. I am currently using a gigai, a false body, so that I can interact with the world of the living. When stationed in the living world it is the responsibility of a Shinigami to aide souls in moving on to the next. When that does not happen in time, the human soul becomes corrupted into a Hollow. We are also charged with purifying these so that the soul can move on. I came to investigate anomalous readings from Britain."

"Do you think the Dementors caused those? Or…would someone dying, surviving a as parasitic wraith and then using a ritual to make a new body be the cause?" Potter asked, surprising him.

"Ah…most likely both would. Are you telling me someone has done such a thing?"

,,,,,,,,,,,

"Yeah, Tom Marvolo Riddle, or as he calls himself, Lord Voldemort. Guessing you don't know about the civil war back in the seventies?"

"No, can't say that I do."

Harry sighed but gave him a very brief rundown of what he had learnt had happened during the first war. He explained what had happened that Halloween, without giving names, and then what had happened every year at Hogwarts, culminating in the ceremony during the Final Task. It wasn't like he was spilling anything secret, everything he'd told Mr. Urahara could be confirmed in the records, if you knew where to look. "So why would Shinigami care about what's happening in another country?"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Kisuke listened as Potter…Harry, gave him the barebones of the situation. It appeared likely that the readings were due to the building war and not Aizen setting up a foreign base, which was good. The fact that a Wizard had denied death wasn't, and it appeared it would need dealing with. He'd been good at leaving out names but Kisuke was a genius, it was obvious to him who the baby had been, who the child pf prophecy was. Prophecy wasn't really something Shinigami dealt with. Would it keep a Shinigami from purifying Riddle's soul? He studied Harry, considering something rather radical and he knew Yamamoto would never agree. Then again, when had he ever sought permission? He had the potential, not as powerful as Ichigo, but with training he would be able to match a lieutenant rather quickly. There would be no need for the Shattered Shaft either so he wouldn't have that issue to deal with.

"It appears you need the aid of a Shinigami in order to send this Riddle's soul to the afterlife." There was no doubt in his mind such a thing would summon the Gates of Hell.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"It sounds like that would be a help," Harry admitted thoughtfully, "but you're not suggesting yourself or any of your fellow Shinigami, are you?" Surely, he wasn't thinking of Harry? He was alive! And British! There was something that had this man interested in him but what? "Why are you interested in me?" he demanded. Against another wizard he stood a chance, thanks to his fast reactions and power levels, but he had the feeling that wouldn't him much good here. Had he made a mistake in coming?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Kisuke raised his hands in surrender. "I am not considering killing you Potter-san…Harry," he swore. "Yes, I am…intrigued by you. You remind me very much of a student of mine who is not much older than you, Ichigo Kurosaki." He took another sandwich and then levelled a serious look and almost smiled when Harry straightened up, green eyes narrowed. It was interesting, physically, Ichigo could be Kaien Shiba's twin but in colouring, so could Harry, although their eyes were slightly different shades. What were the odds of two young men who would remind others of the dead lieutenant? "Have you ever noticed something, strange? Thoughts that are not your own, strange dreams?"

"Why?" and the wariness was back.

"Because you have a parasitical soul attached to your own," Kisuke informed him and watched as a hand flew to the rather distinctive scar on his forehead.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry felt sick as Mr. Urahara told him that….but it explained so much, including why he was being set up as a martyr. Why teach him to win if he had a piece of Riddle inside of him? Obviously, Dumbledore had decided that meant he had to die too. The dreams…his ability to know when Riddle was near, the feelings that weren't his own. No…he was not going to throw up! He looked back at the Shinigami. "Can you remove it?"

"I believe it would be possible without killing you in the process, but I would prefer to do so in a controlled setting after several examinations to be sure."

Well, that was a relief. It came down to one question, could he trust Kisuke Urahara enough to let him do it?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Where have you been?" Mrs. Figg demanded as she hit Dung upside the head with her shopping bag and he groaned. "You were meant to be protecting Harry!"

"I couldn't miss the deal of the year!" He muttered, rubbing his head. "'sides, he's barely left the house all summer."

"Humph," she walked off back to her house, neither aware Harry wasn't in the house.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Japan…" Harry chewed absently at his lip. It was mid-June, that gave him over two months before school went back, if he chose to return. He was emancipated and nothing said he had to attend Hogwarts for his education. He could attend the Japanese school if he liked the country or hire tutors. He knew there was more than he was being told, but if he could break the link between them…wasn't it worth a shot? "Know a way to get my things from the house without being seen? I have a guard, thankfully today was Dung, the most unreliable guard ever."

"You wish to come then?"

"If you can break the link between us then that is worth the risk," Harry answered.

"Very well, if you tell me where to find your things, I can collect them without my gigai."

Harry nodded and wrote down where he had hidden a few things. "My trunk is locked in the cupboard under the stairs, but the rest is hidden in these spots in the bedroom, you'll know which one, it's the one with the locks."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He was surprised the boy agreed so quickly, then again, who would wish to keep another's soul in their own, even if only a piece? He took the note and then left his gigai, letting it slump on the couch, surprised when Harry's eyes followed his soul form.

"Didn't I tell you? My school has ghosts, even a poltergeist. Not to mention history is taught by a ghost. So be careful because if I can see you so can others."

Well…that was unexpected, and he would need to ask more about these ghosts later but for now he nodded and headed off. It was rare for him to leave his gigai, but it felt nice to stretch. He was soon back at the house and slipping inside to collect Harry's belongings. The owl he took as far as the guardian before unlocking the cage and allowing her free to fly. He had been Onmitsukidō, sneaking into a house was childs play for him. He made his way upstairs first, staring briefly in surprise at the door with a multitude of locks and a cat flap of all things. He may be many things, his morals not quite right, but he knew this was no way to treat a child, no matter how mature that child was. He slipped into the room and gathered the meagre treasures within, noting that the room was neatly kept despite the rickety nature of the furnishings. He then returned to the hall, noting that there was not a single picture of young Harry. He made his way to the locked cupboard and easily opened it, finding a trunk within with the initials HJP on it. He removed it and blinked as he spotted the small mattress within, the childish drawings and he felt Benihime's bloodlust rise with his own. He quickly packed Harry's things in the trunk and then removed a small camera from a pocket and began snapping away, better to have evidence of how the boy was treated, just in case it was needed later. He hesitated and then smirked, moving silently through the house, he couldn't do much, but he ensured they would have a rather stressful day when they woke to find the havoc he'd wrought throughout their house.

When he returned to the hotel he found Harry asleep on the couch, so he set the trunk aside and returned to his gigai which still slumped on the other couch. He stood up and stretched before covering Harry with a spare blanket and heading to bed. The next days should be very interesting.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Walking into the dingy pub, unable to see, hear or even sense his companion was rather strange. As instructed he walked straight through to the back alley and then he saw Harry's wand emerge to tap the correct bricks, opening the doorway to Diagon Alley. Glancing around as he walked, Kisuke decided he'd like to come back one day to look around properly. He made his way to the large white building Harry had described and walked inside. He stepped up to a teller and handed over the slip of paper Harry had given him. The teller, a goblin which was just fascinating, opened the paper and looked at him before nodding.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

As soon as they entered the office and the door shut Harry pulled off his cloak. "May your enemies gold fill your vaults, Master Bloodknife," he bowed his head to the pleased goblin.

"And may your enemies be crushed beneath your blade, Mr. Potter. Your companion?"

"Kisuke Urahara, from Japan."

"Greetings sir." Bloodknife stared at Urahara. "You are not a wizard, but you are also not a muggle."

"Ah," and out came the fan, making Harry bite back a grin. "I am a Shinigami sir."

Harry had never seen a shocked, and perhaps even slightly scared, goblin before.

"I….see. Welcome to Gringotts Master Shinigami," the goblin actually bowed to Kisuke who bowed back.

"Please, do not be concerned by my presence sir. I am merely accompanying Potter-san on his way overseas."

"We are enacting Plan B then?" Bloodknife looked at Harry who frowned.

"Not yet. I'm going to Japan for now but I'm not sure what my plans will be, come September." He glanced at Mr. Urahara. "He said that I have a parasitic soul piece attached to me and is going to remove." That definitely got Bloodknife's attention.

"A Horcrux?" he demanded angrily.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Kisuke cocked his head, curious. "What is a Horcrux?"

"A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul... The wizard or witch splits their soul and hides part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged."

That definitely got his attention. Such a thing went against everything the Shinigami stood for. Soul Society would never allow such thigs to exist. He glanced at Harry who was looking a little pale, mind obviously racing.

"How many can a person create?" the teen asked.

"I don't believe anyone has ever asked that, why?"

"Because I doubt Riddle would stop at one. In my second year, there was this diary." They listened as he explained what had happened with the diary, the girl and the serpent. What he heard sickened Kisuke, it was an abomination. Not as bad as the Hōgyoku but still against the natural laws. He would have to bring this to the Soutaicho's attention as soon as he returned.

"Lucius Malfoy…" Bloodknife sneered at the name, the family had money but no honour. "He believes his son is heir to the House of Black. Should he realise you are,"

"He'll try to kill me again," Harry agreed.

"If one of these was given to a follower, it stands to reason another may have one," Kisuke mused.

"Lestrange?" Harry offered, he'd made sure he memorised the names of those in the inner circle. "Snape's too much Dumbledore's attack dog, he would have turned it over to him. Dolohov…maybe? Malfoy had the diary at hand but where would you store something your Master told you was valuable?"

"We shall search the vaults of all known Death Eaters and their families," Bloodknife growled.

"Is that legal?" Kisuke asked, curious and the goblin smirked.

"We do not need to touch the contents to search for such foul magics. Our Cursebreakers shall begin searching for other possibilities as well."

Kisuke sat back as the topic changed back to what was necessary for Harry to leave the country. As he was emancipated he did not need permission to leave and since he would be staying at the shop there was no worry about the Japanese authorities. As the goblin pointed out, there were no muggle forms showing he was under the Dursley's 'care'.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Finding out that there was no paperwork explained a lot about why they never wanted to take him to the doctor or anything. They hadn't been his legal guardians. Who knew how they had enrolled him in school though he suspected magic was involved since Vernon hadn't wanted him to go at all. It did make things a lot easier though. With his emancipation his parents will was available and so they quickly went over it, finding, as suspected, that he should never have gone to his Aunt and that most of those on the list had become unavailable around the same time. He signed a lot of paperwork to reactivate accounts and to ensure he had access to money while in overseas. The goblins easily provided a translation spell, passport, and visa, for a fee of course, spelled to ensure he had no trouble with immigration. Harry then emptied his trunk of what he wanted to take and had it stored, if he stayed in Japan they could send it on. They then left the alley and went to a store so Harry could buy luggage and clothes. Mr. Urahara had his own way home, but it was not something Harry could use so he would be flying.

The next day he escorted Harry to the airport to see him off and ensure no one grabbed him at the last second.

"Now, either Tessai or I will be at the airport waiting for you. Tessai is very distinctive," Mr. Urahara told him, and Harry nodded, adjusting the strap of his backpack.

"Have a good trip," Harry offered, and the man laughed, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"Don't miss your flight now."

Harry took a deep breath and made his way through security, nervous. He'd never flown in an airplane before, never even been to an airport. Moody was on guard duty tomorrow but the letters he'd left would be delivered in four hours, he'd be out of reach by then. He knew what they'd say, he was crazy to do this, to trust a man he barely knew, but this seemed his best shot at surviving the war, even if he was going to be staying in another, more dangerous warzone.

_TBC…_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 3**

"Geta-boshi?" Ichigo blinked, staring at the shopkeeper in surprise as the man walked down into the training ground. Then again, he should have known, what were the odds two groups of people who didn't know each other would have training grounds like this?

"Apologies for interrupting but I need to speak with Hachi," he smiled behind his fan, glad to see Ichigo looking better than he had been before coming here. He was losing the hunted look, gaining his confidence back and that was very good.

Ichigo watched as Urahara and Hachi moved away to talk.

"Focus!" Hiyori snapped and Ichigo ducked, pulling his mask back on to face her.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry carried his bags out into the main area of the airport, looking around for either Urahara-sans eyes catching clothing or….okay, yeah, he was tall. And he was holding a sign with Harry's name on it. He fought through the crowds to reach the man.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tessai held the sign up, eyes searching the crowds for the boy the boss had decided to take in. All he knew was his name and that he was a few months younger than Ichigo.

"Excuse me sir," a voice called, and he looked down to see a dark haired teenager. "Are you Tessai-san?"

This was the boy? He did not look nearly fifteen. "Hai," he answered, and the boy grinned.

"Pleased to meet you sir," he offered a hand so Tessai shook it.

"Are those all of your bags?"

"Yes sir, I can buy anything else I need but we didn't have long to shop, and Urahara-san has…interesting ideas in clothing."

That made him chuckle, though why had the boss needed to take him shopping? "I will take you to the shop where you will be staying, we have cleared a room for you. Then you can either rest or we can join Urahara with some allies."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry considered the options. "I'm not really tired, I slept on the plane eventually." It had taken time to get used to flying without being in control and he had found that he really did prefer to be the one flying, even if he had flown Business class. Tessai nodded and Harry followed him outside. The man was tall yes, but Hagrid still had a good two feet in height on him. They made their way to a beat-up white van and got in, Tessai driving them. After almost twelve hours on a plane he hated getting into more transport but he couldn't exactly Apparate yet so there was no choice. Just walking to the van he discovered that even with the heatwave back home, Tokyo felt hotter. Thankfully the van had air conditioning, or the drive may have been torture.

As Tessai drove, Harry contented himself with watching the scenery. Tokyo had a very different look and feel to it than London but he kind of liked it. Maybe, he could find a home here? Was he crazy doing this? Trusting people he didn't know…he'd done that before and been burnt in the Wizarding World. Eventually they pulled into a side street and then into a lot with a rather ramshackle looking building, but Harry knew better than to judge a book by its cover. And there was something….almost like magic but not, Shinigami power? Made sense for them to have some sort of protective skills. Tessai parked and they got out and approached the building, Tessai pushing open the sliding doors before ushering him inside.

"The front section is the shop, with the living quarters out the back," he explained, slipping out of his shoes while opening the dividing door and leading Harry into what he guessed was a living room, he could see what looked like a kitchen in a side room. The furniture was different to what he knew but he'd done some reading on the plane and recognised the low table and cushions were traditional. They walked down a hallway and then a door was slid open. "This is your room Potter-san."

Harry stepped inside, seeing the futon on the floor, a window on the far wall and what looked like closet doors. "Thank you. And my name's Harry," he smiled at Tessai. He could tell the room was newly cleaned, and bigger than Dudley's second bedroom.

"Very well Harry, I will leave you to unpack and freshen up. The bathroom is through there," he pointed to the door in the hall. "Do you drink tea?"

"I'm British," he grinned and Tessai chuckled.

"I will make tea."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tessai prepared the tea even as his mind swirled. Kisuke had not told him much about this boy they were taking in and he had wondered why. Now he was relatively sure why, he was powerful but that power was unstable, potentially dangerous not only to Harry but those around him. How had he found the boy when he was meant to be investigating the strange readings, the boy wasn't strong enough to have been the cause. He wished Kisuke had told him more before going to consult with Hachi. He was proud of his old lieutenant, his skills had surpassed his over the years, especially considering the price Tessai had paid for those forbidden Kidō.

He was just setting out the tea when Harry emerged from his bedroom in a different outfit, dark hair still damp. He had never flown in an airplane, but he had heard they left one feeling very grimy. He sat first to show Harry had it was done and the boy awkwardly copied him. He poured two cups and Harry gratefully took one, sipping at the warm liquid.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Hachi watched Ichigo as the teen fought Lisa, mind pondering everything Urahara had told him. He did hope they could help free the boy of the soul that had latched onto his and he understood why Urahara had come to him. To protect the boy and those around him while Urahara attempted to study the fragment would require specific, powerful, barriers, his specialty. Bringing somewhere here though was difficult. For a century it had just been them, the Kisuke had come to them with the news that there was a new Visored and a teenager to boot. They had all been wary, so Shinji had gone to observe him, going so far as to enrol briefly in school to get close. Now…they were all coming to accept Ichigo as one of them.

So, how would they react to another teenager learning about them? The big difference though was that this boy was human. That was risky. There was always the chance someone would lose control, especially Ichigo. With everything Kisuke had done for them he couldn't bring himself to deny his help, he was just worried. He walked over to Shinji to tell their leader that a stranger would be coming either soon or tomorrow.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Shinji stood beside Kisuke, a frown on his face even as he watched Ichigo as he fought to lengthen the time he could wear his mask. He did not like Kisuke bring another person to their hideout, who knew how much Aizen was watching the shop? This could lead the madman right to their door. He'd tried to kill them twice, once by his own hand, the second via the government, who knew what form a third attempt would take? Because Shinji doubted the man would let them live if he found them, even if he had been revealed for what he was to Soul Society. That was why they had fought so hard to learn control, to keep their skills sharp, they would have their revenge against the man one day.

Bringing a human boy here was dangerous. Even if he swore to keep their existence secret, well he was a kid and kids slipped up. Ichigo had very good reasons not to, since that would reveal his own secret and it was very obvious he wanted no one to know what he had become. It'd come out eventually, he would need to don his mask against the Espada, but he was rightfully worried about reactions to it. Then again, having some sort of parasitic soul attached to him, well, no one deserved that. Who knew what it was doing to the kids own soul or even those around him. And yeah, dealing with it should probably be done behind barriers and Hachi was the best.

Shinji sighed and Kisuke smirked, so he shot a mild glare at him and then Hachi looked up.

"Tessai and a stranger are here," he looked at Shinji who nodded.

"Let them in."

Lisa moved back from Ichigo who removed his mask, breathing heavily even as they all looked towards the stairs where Tessai soon appeared. To his left and slightly behind came a much smaller figure with messy black hair. Shinji frowned, how old was this kid? He'd thought Kisuke said he was Ichigo's age, he didn't look it.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Kisuke grinned as his friend appeared, with young Potter at his side. "Enjoy your flight Harry?" he called out and the teen grimaced.

"Not really, I don't like flying when I'm not the one in control."

"Understandable. Welcome to Japan," he offered a theatrical bow and the grinned. "Everyone, this is Harry Potter of England, Wizard," he happily introduced the teenager to the Visored.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry was relieved to see the one person he sort of knew as they walked down the stairs and into a room that wouldn't be out of place in the wizarding world. If Shinigami could do stuff like this he was eager to see what of their skills he might be able to learn, perhaps merge methods. The group they were meeting was….interesting, that was for sure. But he knew better than to judge anyone by their appearance, managing a hopefully passable bow to them as Mr Urahara introduced him. "Hello."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Wizard? What, that another word for Quincy?" Ichigo asked as he looked from the kid to Geta-boshi.

"What's a Quincy?" the kid, Harry, asked. How old was he anyway?

"Human mediums that have the ability to detect the existence of Hollows and destroy them, rather than purify them as Shinigami do. They do seem to utilise what they term spells, but they pull power form the world around them. They absorb and manipulate Reishi." Kisuke explained.

"Oh, well, no, not a Quincy," Harry shrugged and Ichigo studied him, he was older than he looked.

He glanced at Gate-boshi who sobered. "Harry-kun is here for help with a rather serious condition. Do not worry, we won't interrupt your training," he smiled at Ichigo who sighed and then dodged as Kensei attacked.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry's eyes widened in shock as he watched the two, if he wasn't a Quidditch player and a Seeker at that, he doubted he'd be able to see them at all! They were that fast. "Woah," he whispered in awe and Kisuke laughed.

"You can see them?"

"They're moving too fast, they're blurring, but yeah," he glanced at the man and grinned. "Youngest Seeker in a Century."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Ah," Kisuke nodded, glad he'd been doing research on the Wizarding World, so he knew that term. Quidditch was the main sport of their kind, played on brooms. Seekers had the hardest job, dodging everyone and everything else while chasing a tiny golden ball at high speed. "What do you fly?" he asked curiously. He'd never actually seen someone fly on a broom before.

"Firebolt, top of the line. It was a gift from my Godfather. 0-150mph in ten seconds," he grinned.

"I have a room like this under the shop if you would like to fly while here," he offered casually.

"That'd be great, thanks. I don't usually get the chance over the summer since I lived with my relatives."

Kisuke nodded as Shinji and the others approached, curious but trying to hide it and he hid a smile behind his fan. Harry could use all the friends, trainers and perhaps allies, that he could find. Hachi and Tessai had already moved off to begin erecting barriers.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Shinji looked the kid over, short black hair, the greenest eyes he'd ever seen on a human, hidden behind glasses. His clothing was casual but new and when he moved his hand he caught he flash of something secured to his right wrist. He didn't look at all threatening or powerful, but he'd seen eyes like those before, aged before their time. This kid hadn't had an easy life. "I'm Shinji," he introduced himself, offering his hand and the boy grinned.

"Nice to meet you Sir, sorry if I'm disturbing something."

"Just Ichigo getting beaten," he smirked as Ichigo hit the ground, hard. "No need to be so polite either."

"Are they trying to kill each other?" Harry asked as the orange haired guy got up to attack.

Shinji laughed. "Trust me, if they were trying ta kill each other there'd be a lot more explosions."

"Okay."

"Harry this is Hachi, he's going to be putting up protections while I take a look at your problem," Kisuke introduced them and Shinji grinned when the kid didn't even blink at Hachi's size.

Hachi smiled and began talking with the boy so Shinji motioned Kisuke away. "How old did ya say he is?"

"Fifteen at the end of July," was the terse answer and Shinji raised an eyebrow. Kisuke smirked and Shinji shivered, it was easy to forget sometimes just how dangerous a man the eccentric scientist was. "He was illegally placed with relatives who have now been taught a lesson."

"Ah, I see." That helped explain Kisuke's actions, there was a reason he already had two children living with him after all.

_TBC…._

_Not so happy with this chapter but after 2 rewrites I'm moving on. _


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_Sorry for the long wait. There'll be some time skips in this chapter._

_So, I forgot to go to audio settings before hitting play for Bleach. Does anyone actually watch it in English? Could they have gotten less convincing voice actors? _

**Chapter 4**

Harry collapsed on the futon, exhausted. Maybe he should have waited for tomorrow, but it wasn't like he'd had to do anything either. He'd just sat on the ground and wondered if something was up with his translation spell cause the words had made no sense. Then again, if those chants were like spells maybe they were meant to sound strange? They'd be going to the warehouse every second day, giving them a day in between to go over their findings and to give Harry a break. He planned to study and also explore on those days. Apparently there were two other kids living at the Shōten, a guy and girl, both younger than him and he'd meet them in the morning.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Shinji sat on the couch near Hachi and looked at him. "The kid going to be okay?"

"It is too soon to tell. The parasite has had fourteen years to dig deep and latch on tightly to his soul. However, it is still a foreign body."

"Kisuke's taken to him rather fast. I get he needs help, but bringing him here is risky, last thing that kid needs is to be caught up in a battle."

"The kid has what?" Kensei asked as he joined them and Hachi sighed but explained. He listened, feeling bad for the boy. "It won't make him one of us will it?" they had enough trouble training Kurosaki without taking on another, that was if he could even survive a transformation like theirs considering he wasn't a Shinigami.

"Kisuke doesn't seem to think so, he's more worried about it killin' the kid," Shinji admitted.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Ah, good morning Harry-kun," Kisuke greeted as the teen wandered into the room, fully dressed for the day, minus his shoes. The spell had given him the language, but he was already picking up cultural clues as well, impressive.

"Good morning," Harry offered, before smothering a yawn.

Kisuke chuckled and waved a hand at the waiting tea pot, pouring a cup for him as he sat down. "I was not expecting to see you up so early."

"Time difference I guess," he accepted the cup and took a sip.

"Ah, how do you feel today?" he asked, there was a chance that the soul fragment would realise they were working to remove it and attempt to stop them.

"Jet lagged but good," Harry assured him.

Tessai appeared, serving breakfast and the three settled in to eat, Harry curious about the foreign cuisine and Tessai happy to explain, the two bonding over cooking to Kisuke's amusement.

"Well, what would you like to do for your first full day in Karakura?" Kisuke asked when they were beginning to move away.

"I was thinking about exploring?"

"A wonderful idea! Would you like a guide?" he offered, Ichigo may be busy training but one of his friends would surely be available.

"Sounds good."

"I know just who to ask, I shall call her immediately." He went to call young Inoue. She would make a good guide, and should anything happen she could defend them until help arrived. Not even an hour later he was waving them off to go explore.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry couldn't help smiling as he listened to her as they walked. She reminded him of Ginny's Ravenclaw friend, Luna Lovegood. He figured the two girls would get along great if they ever met. He liked the quirky blond; she saw the world in a unique way, and it seemed so did Inoue. Luna had even approached him last year after his name came from the goblet and had told him that she believed him. She had even sat with him the night before the express in an unused classroom and had just kept him company, chattering away about various creatures. She hadn't pressured him to speak but also hadn't let him wallow. She had stated quite firmly that Cedric didn't blame him and that nothing that happened had been his fault. She'd even managed to write him while he was at the Dursley's and had wished him well on his trip….before he'd even met Urahara.

"Do you like Japan, Potter-san?"

"I only got here yesterday," he told her. "It's different to London."

"What is London like?" She asked as they waited to cross the street. So he told her about the city, what little he'd seen, and of Little Whinging. "Oh! Come on," she grinned and led him into a building. "Tatsuki!" she called and a short haired girl in white turned and smile at Inoue.

"Orihime. Who's this?"

"This is Potter Harry, he just arrived in Japan yesterday from England. Potter-san, this is Arisawa Tatsuki, my best friend."

"Nice to meet you Arisawa-san," he smiled at her. Knowing the language was one thing, remembering to use last names wasn't too bad since they did that at school, but remembering the suffixes to add to names that got to him.

"You too," she looked between them. "How did you meet?"

"Oh, um…" Inoue faltered.

Harry glanced at her, obviously her friend didn't know about Urahara?

"Are you one of those sword guys?" Arisawa asked him and Harry blinked.

"Uh…you mean like Urahara and his friends? No. I'm just staying with him at the moment because he's helping me with a problem. I don't think we have people like him back in England."

"How did you meet Urahara-san?" Inoue asked as they watched her friend set up some mats.

"He saved me from an attack and helped me get my cousin home. We just got talking." They might know about Shinigami but that didn't mean he could break the law and tell them about magic. He watched as some kids filed in and a class began. "That was amazing," Harry offered when the class was done.

"You know anything about fighting?"

"My cousin's taken up boxing," he shrugged.

"Want to learn?" she offered.

He hesitated before nodding, "Sure, if it won't be a bother." The average wizard was lazy, any advantage he could gain was good.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry leant against a rock, tired, but focused on the fight in front of him. he could see them even better now when they fought, and it was amazing. Tatsuki was teaching him the basics of karate when they could meet up, but this was something very different to that, lethal and swift. He knew they weren't normal Shinigami, that they were in hiding, but he never asked, and he never told anyone about them or the warehouse. As far as Orihime and Tatsuki knew he stayed at the Shōten when not wandering the town.

When he was at the Shōten, he was working hard. He had seen the twins booklists over the years and had used the one for fifth year to get the books he needed. He had also visited the Japanese Ministry to get the requirements for OWL's. once he had passed the exams he would be free to do as he pleased. Despite being emancipated, he still had to take the exams, or he risked his magic being bound by the authorities. He was aiming to take the exams as soon as possible. He'd sent Sirius a letter, via the goblins for security and his Godfather had been enraged by the soul parasite and horcrux diary, he had written what he knew horcruxes, he had been raised a Black after all. Sirius and Remus were all for Harry remaining in Japan where he would be safe from Riddle and they had written of their plan to hunt down any others, with the aid of the goblins who had apparently found another within the Lestrange vault. They had destroyed the horcrux without damaging the artefact it was housed in, which should keep it from being noticed should the mad woman or Voldemort get to the vault.

Harry looked up as the trapdoor opened and a white blur shot down, startling the others but Harry held his arm up and Hedwig easily landed on his arm without hurting him. he gently stroked her feathers even as she began working on his hair. "Missed me girl," he teased, and she let out a little bark of reproach. "Sorry," he whispered, and she rubbed her head against his chest.

"Nice bird," Shinji offered, watching and Harry grinned.

"This is Hedwig, she was my first ever birthday present and friend," he introduced.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry grinned, going into freefall, broom in one hand, loving the feel of the wind whipping by. He heard a startled call as the ground got closer and then he was on his broom and zooming up, barely a centimetre from hitting the ground.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Kisuke watched with wide eyes, heart actually racing. He had come done to call Harry up for dinner, he hadn't expected to see him plummeting towards the hard ground of the training room. He was good…very good, not that he knew anything about riding a broom, but he the research he'd done said that Harry Potter was known as a natural flyer. He wondered if the kid could learn flash step, if he liked flying he'd love that. Perhaps it was time to see if he could learn Kidō. He would feel better about the teen wandering Karakura alone if he could.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sirius sat back and watched the Order go crazy. They were searching tirelessly for Harry but had come up with no leads. Since he knew generally where his godson was, he was finding the fuss rather amusing. He didn't mind most of the Order….other than Snape…and Molly.

The woman was a control freak. Oh, she loved her children, that would be obvious to a blind man, but she suffocated them with that love. No wonder the two eldest had left the country with the way she tried to run their lives. Percy had turned his back on the family completely all in the name of his career, the one son who had done as she wanted and joined the Ministry and yet she was still pushing for the twins to get their grades up so they could work there as well. He didn't mind her cleaning the place all that much, the senile house elf wasn't much help, too old and driven round the bend by his Mother's portrait. Her desire to run the house though…he knew others in the Order were watching, wondering how far he'd let her take it before reminding her she was a guest, not Mistress of the House.

Then there were Harry's friend. Hermione may be the smartest witch of her age, but she lacked the….spark that Lily had shown. She was too easily led by what was written in her books and authority figures said. She had ignored Harry all summer, despite having been at home for several weeks with access to a telephone, something the Death Eaters couldn't intercept, and all because Dumbledore told her to. As for Ron…he was too content to coast by in life, expecting to be handed what he wanted. His older brothers had worked hard for their marks and jobs, he didn't. the fact he'd been made Prefect, well he could see Dumbledore's meddling there. Not that he thought Harry would be back this year, he seemed much happier in Japan and Sirius hoped he stayed there. He had no doubt the kid could sit his OWL's over there, and he could do what he wanted after that. Sirius would pay for private tutors himself if that was what Harry decided on. Though he got the feeling a lot was being left out of the letter, just in case.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ichigo glanced over at where the younger teen lay on the ground as Geta-boshi, Tessai and Hachi worked around him. He'd been coming to the warehouse every second day now for four weeks which was a big hint at how dangerous whatever was going on with him was. They hadn't spoken much but he seemed nice enough and Orihime had gushed about him since apparently she'd been asked to show him around town by Urahara. Made sense, she could protect them both if necessary, then again Potter could see them and Ichigo could sense power from him. She'd even introduced him to Tatsuki who was now teaching him to fight. He didn't look like a fighter though, even if he'd hit a growth spurt since arriving and was starting to look more his actual age. Ichigo didn't want to consider why he'd been so small and skinny, why he'd dodged so quickly the one time Shinji had gone to clap him on the shoulder in greeting and the kid hadn't seen him coming. They'd all made sure since then to make sure Potter saw them if they were close. He'd seen the look on Urahara's face when Potter…Harry had dodged, and he got the feeling the man knew and had plans and he didn't feel at all bad about that.

The barriers went down, and Harry groaned, rolling onto his hands and knees before vomiting and Urahara's eyes widened in alarm. Ichigo grabbed a water bottle and dashed over, moving to support the other teen as he heaved before helping him sip the water to wash the taste out of his mouth. It wasn't the first time he'd helped someone being sick. That first year after Mom had died…and he did sometimes help at the clinic.

"Harry?" Geta-boshi asked.

"M'okay," Harry answered, breathing deeply.

Yeah, that's why he was swaying against Ichigo who shifted to support him better. He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and frowned. "He's hot," he offered.

"I think a few days rest might be in order then," Urahara looked at the other two men who nodded in agreement.

"But…" Harry looked up at them and Ichigo hissed at the thin trickle of blood coming from the inflamed scar on his forehead.

Urahara was kneeling beside them in an instant. "Look at me Harry," he ordered firmly, and green eyes met his before rolling back and Ichigo was left supporting a limp body before the kid began jerking in his arms. And then he screamed and Ichigo found himself restraining him from clawing at the scar. "Lay him down but don't let him hurt himself," Urahara barked and Ichigo obeyed even as the others rushed over to watch.

Ichigo didn't move as he noticed barriers go up around them. He could take it if the kid lashed out and he wasn't going to let go and watch him hurt himself. He could hear the others yelling, Tessai talking calmly but he focused on Harry. For a runt he was struggling hard, then again pain, adrenaline and whatever was happening was probably making him stronger. "Come on Harry, you're scaring everyone," he whispered.

"I thought the distance would be enough," Urahara said from outside the barrier.

"It has bought us this long to work unopposed," Tessai answered.

"You're worrying Geta-boshi kid. You can do it, come on, come back," Ichigo offered, speaking like he would to his sisters when they were ill. He didn't know what was happening or if Harry could even hear him but then his eyes fluttered partially open, staring through him, but he hoped that meant he'd heard him. He began gagging and Ichigo rolled him, not wanting him to choke. He swore and switched his grip briefly to swipe his fingers through Harry's mouth, searching for the source of blood, hoping he'd just bitten his tongue or something. "Urahara!" He yelled when he found nothing.

"Let me in!" that was Shinji and soon the blonde was kneeling beside him, hands glowing green. "Just his throat, not internal," he called in relief. He ran his hands over Harry's forehead, and he went rigid before going limp and Ichigo scrambled to find a pulse.

"Jacket," he held his hand out to Shinji who blinked but stripped it off and Ichigo gently settled it over Harry, keeping him on his side in case he was sick again. They waited in silence for several minutes, Ichigo monitoring his pulse and then the barriers went down, and the others approached. "What happened?"

"It would appear our attempts to help young Harry have been discovered," Geta-boshi answered. "I do not wish to move him, do you mind?" he asked, and Shinji shook his head.

"He can stay."

Ichigo noticed Hiyori shift, scowling, but she remained silent. After seeing that, whatever it had been, none of them could insist he be moved. Not when he was still white as a sheet and occasionally letting out a little gasp, his body trembling from the fit. When he eventually settled into a deep sleep, Ichigo lifted him up and carried him to where he slept, settling him on his own futon. He looked at Shinji who accepted his jacket back and then left, returning with another futon. He was relieved, Hachi handled most of the Visored healing needs, but Shinji could manage as well. Between the two of them they should be able to handle anything that happened during the night.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Lord Voldemort stared out the window of his rooms within Malfoy Manor. His sense of the boy had been very distant lately, but something had happened to open the link between them, and he had taken the chance to attack the boys mind. Something had stopped him though. He did not know what, but he had plans for the child this year that he would not let anyone stop. He had to find out what the Prophecy said, and he need Potter to do so. He glanced at the Prophet and smirked, the Ministry was doing all the work for him in ruining Potter's reputation and leaving him free to rebuild his forces. Once he had the Prophecy he would know how to destroy the boy and ensure no one could stop him this time.

_TBC…_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

_I have come to a decision on Harry's Zanpakutō, he won't be gaining it in the traditional method or even how Ichigo got one. _

**Chapter 5**

Shinji looked over as the teen began to stir, Ichigo was back in the training room, getting kicked around by Lisa. He wasn't worried about how long he'd slept; his body had needed the time to recover. Sleepy green eyes opened slowly, and he grinned at the kid. "Welcome back."

"Shinji?" Harry pushed up into a sitting position and Shinji steadied him. "What?" he looked around in confusion.

"Remember what happened yesterday?" he asked carefully, and the teen frowned, obviously trying.

"I threw up?" he asked, blushing slightly in shame.

"Hey, nothing embarrassing 'bout that, but yeah, ya did. You had some kinda fit after, Kisuke thinks their work has been detected," he explained and watched Harry press a hand to his scar which was still inflamed even after all the healing they'd done.

"Oh…"

"It usually that bad," he indicated the scar and Harry shrugged.

"It's always hurt if he's near. Last year he…the ritual used to give him a body needed my blood as his enemy. He can touch me now."

"He couldn't before?" that was interesting.

Harry shook his head, leaning back against the wall. "The Headmaster said it was my Mum's protection, that when she died to keep me safe it ensured he couldn't touch me. It's why I got dumped with my Aunt, it needed her blood to recharge and it protected them too. In first year…our defence teacher had Voldemort's head sticking out of the back of his own and…when he touched me he burned. He was trying to kill me so I…I grabbed on and didn't let go," he whispered, and Shinji hid a wince.

"How old were ya?"

"Eleven."

That was way too young to have to kill to protect yourself, poor kid. "Hungry?" he asked to change the subject and Harry nodded so he helped him up and to the kitchen where Shinji got him a bowl of cereal.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry put his pen down and stretched before getting up and going to the window. He spotted Hedwig in the distance and smiled, opening the window for her. She carried two letters, one from Remus and Sirius and the second from…Luna. It was good to hear from her, he hadn't since that last letter hoping he had a good trip. Reading her letter, she and Orihime were definitely very alike.

He wrote her a letter, letting her know as obliquely as possible, in case the letter was intercepted, that he would like to keep in contact. Maybe one year she could come creature hunting in Japan. He'd decided he would hire tutors to get him through his OWL's at least, unsure if he wanted to take his NEWT's or just study whatever interested him while finishing up normal high school. He sent a Marauder coded one to Sirius and Remus, knowing better than to lie to them about what had happened, thankful there hadn't been a recurrence. He also hadn't had a session since, everyone wanting his body, magic and soul to be fully recovered.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry hit the mat hard and lay there, groaning and Tatsuki laughed.

"Come on, try again," she ordered, and he rolled to his feet, getting into position again.

He knew the training was doing his body good, especially with having just finished the potions course, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt to get tossed around by her. They were just finishing up when Orihime walked in with a guy behind her and a bright smile.

"You aren't being too hard on Potter-san are you?" she asked her best friend.

"Not sure I'll be able to walk tomorrow, does that count?" Harry asked and Orihime laughed.

"Potter-san, this is Ishida-san, we go to school together."

"Nice to meet you," Harry offered his hand which Ishida shook.

"You are staying with Urahara?"

"For now," he agreed.

"Does that mean you're staying?" Orihime asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, I think I am."

"Will you be enrolling at our school then?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Tutors probably, at least for a while." what else could he say without revealing magic?

"Oh, that's too bad. But we'll still see you around right?"

"Sure," Harry agreed. "I'll have to find my own place to live at some point but for now the Shōten works best." As long as the Soul fragment remained it was best he stay with people who could do something if anything happened and not powerless innocents.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Uryū studied the foreign teen, curious that he was staying at the Shōten. He was definitely not a Shinigami, his Spirit Ribbon was not red, but it also wasn't normal. What was Urahara thinking, having a civilian stay at his store when the war could begin any day?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aizen leant back in his chair, curious. What was Urahara doing? The boy was training with the Visored, as expected, his friends scattered around the town. But there were strange occurrences that he hadn't foreseen. Urahara and Tessai were travelling to and from the warehouse where the Visored hid behind their barriers. They were impressive, he only knew the general area, not even he had been able to get passed the protections there, not without alerting them. He saw no reason to go that far, not at the moment. He'd seen and heard enough of Kurosaki, they would not sit the coming war out, no matter what they may say, plus they would want 'revenge'. How petty.

He paused the surveillance and smirked, so, this was the cause of the change. Who was he and how could he be of use to his plans?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sirius sat in his chair, staring up at the moon. Tomorrow it would be full, and he'd keep Moony company in the well reinforced basement. Tonight was for thinking about his godson. He'd be going crazier if the teen wasn't managing to send coded letters. He knew Harry wasn't telling them everything and he approved for security, but he wondered just what was being left out. It was good that he seemed to be making friends there, that he was enjoying himself.

He was looking forward to following him there one day. He'd been doing research with Remus' help and he was hopeful that the Japanese magical government would hear him out and clear his name. He doubted Britain would care but it would allow him to live openly with Harry and Remus. He also looked forward to meeting young Luna Lovegood one day, he'd known of her parents, but he'd never met them, there was an age gap between them.

The search for Harry wasn't letting up and he doubted it would, although once school began again it would remove some of those able to search. The Ministry might be glad Harry was gone, what with the way the papers were trying to destroy his reputation at the Ministers biding. He really hated that pompous fool. Who had actually voted for the idiot? Dumbledore and Voldemort would never give up looking for Harry, sooner or later he'd have to return to face them, he just hoped it would be on Harry's terms, not theirs.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry headed back to the Shōten after a training session with Tatsuki. Between all of the physical activity, being able to fly when he had time, and the finished potions, he was feeling better physically than he could ever remember. Usually someone walked him back but today everyone was busy. It wasn't that long of a walk and he had his wand. So far, he hadn't had any trouble with Hollows or anything which was good. Hachi had started teaching him some of the beginner Kidō. They didn't use magic, but he was gaining a better understanding of his magic through the training as the two power sources came from deep inside him.

Harry hesitated, feeling the prickle on the back of his neck…he wasn't alone. He forced himself to keep walking, acting like nothing was wrong. He felt his wand heat up in its holster but…yeah, that was Reiatsu he was sensing. The one day he was alone, and there was no way that was a coincidence. Wonderful. Under his breath he began whispering the highest level Kidō he could control, he didn't want to take out half the street with something unstable after all.

"Too late," a bored sounding voice came from behind and Harry whirled, the last words forming but then his world went black.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ulquiorra looked down at the human boy at his feet. He didn't know why Aizen-sama had commanded his capture and he didn't care. He had been tasked with retrieving him, without alerting any of the Shinigami or their allies and so he had obeyed. He picked the limp body up and left the area, it was best to put some distance between them and the Shinigami base before opening a Gargantua.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Kisuke frowned as one of his instruments briefly detected a high level of Hollow power and then it was gone. He checked it and froze before rushing from his lab, Benihime in hand. He stopped in the street and knelt down, picking up a familiar pair of glasses and then he heard the cries of an owl. He looked up and saw Hedwig, so he followed her to an empty park…where a Gargantua was just finishing closing. Aizen had taken Harry…it was his fault. He never should have brought the boy to Japan now. He should have watched and left him be unless it became a matter of life and death, at least until Aizen was dealt with. He looked at Hedwig and she landed on his shoulder, hooting sadly. "We will get him back," he promised. She hooted again and took off.

Kisuke followed her example, rushing not back to his store but to the warehouse. He would not be able to rescue Harry alone.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

They all leapt to their feet as Kisuke appeared at top speed.

"Kisuke?" Shinji demanded as his fellow ex-Captain caught his breath.

"Harry's been taken," he announced, and Shinji swore softly.

He was torn between offering to lead a rescue party and remaining behind their barriers. The boy wasn't one of them, he was human. And hadn't he once taken an oath to protect humans?

"We have to save him," Ichigo immediately said and Kisuke nodded. they both looked at the Visored.

Shinji looked at the others, watching Hiyori cross her arms and look away, the way Lisa wouldn't meet his eyes and he knew, they didn't want to take the risk. If they tipped their hand to soon…but, if Aizen had taken the kid, then he likely already knew they were here, at least their general area if not the exact warehouse. "I'm in," he said, getting surprised looks. "We let him come here, day after day. If he'd stayed in the Shōten, Aizen may have never noticed him. I'm not gonna leave him in Aizen's hands, we all know what he's capable of." He could tell his response had shamed them and slowly they began to nod in agreement.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aizen looked down at the boy Ulquiorra had faithfully delivered. So, what was it about him that interested Urahara? He was human, though his power was unstable for one, and higher, though not close to Kurosaki's.

Despite all his skill in illusions, not even Aizen saw the hidden wand holster attached to his captives arm, was unable to feel the warm magic given off by the phoenix feather within.

_TBC…._


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

_Sorry for the wait, I know where this is going to end up, it's getting there that's been the issue_

**Chapter 6**

Fawkes lifted his head, trilling a note of worry, Albus looking over, before the immortal bird vanished in a flash of fire. The phoenix carefully traced the feather he had given so long ago for the wand now carried by the boy he had helped as much as he could. If he could frown he would be, how had the chick been taken there? He needed information and so this time he searched for a certain owl.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ichigo was torn, the more who went the better the chance of getting Harry and getting out alive. But if he called on his friends…not only would he be putting them in danger, but he risked them finding out what he was. If they found out about his Inner Hollow… But Harry's life was on the line, this wasn't his war, he should never have been at risk.

Urahara was busy setting up a way for them to get to Hueco Mundo, the place Hollows lived. The other Visored were standing around, waiting, while Ichigo paced, torn. The group were all ex-Captains and Lieutenants and they could kick him around…which meant they could beat the others so would they really be needed. They'd been hurt badly enough rescuing Rukia, this time he had professionals with him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry's head hurt, that was the first thing he was aware of, then the heat from his holstered wand which together meant he was in trouble. So…what had happened? He'd been training with Tatsuki…walking back…someone had been there!

"Welcome to Las Noches," a cool, unfamiliar, voice called, and Harry's heart sunk.

He opened his eyes, surprised to find he wasn't restrained so he got to his feet, looking around. He was in a big white room with a raised throne at the nearest end, a man dressed in white seated on it. He'd never even seen a picture, but it didn't take much to guess….Aizen. Around the room were some of the strangest looking 'people' he'd seen and that was saying something. He was a rather small mouse surrounded by a room full of cats. He was kind of regretting his lessons in sensing Reiatsu, their power levels…

"You know who I am?"

Harry nodded, there was no point denying it. "Aizen Sōsuke, former Captain of Soul Society."

"And you are?" the man leant lazily on one arm.

"Harry Potter of Britain." His name was so common, especially without his middle name that if they searched they would find hundreds. "I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I don't like lying," he shrugged. Without his glasses, things were blurry, though not as bad as most thought. The potions for malnutrition had improved his vision as well, a lack of nutrition had damaged his eyes, thankfully it had been healable. The rest was genetics, and nothing could be done about that.

He heard a slight snicker and saw a man with a grin and closed eyes a bit down from the throne, that had to be…Ichimaru Gin.

Yeah, he was in serious trouble. They'd come for him, but would it be in time? So he had to buy that time, somehow. He still had his wand, but they were all faster than him, he'd have to take them by surprise.

"And what brings you to Japan, Harry Potter?" the question was friendly enough sounding, but he didn't trust it at all.

"My health," he offered and that got a surprised look from Ichimaru and a considering frown from Aizen.

"Indeed?" he motioned with a hand and when Harry hesitated one of the men by the wall stepped towards him.

He choose to walk closer rather than be dragged, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

"Now, what could Urahara possibly…ah, I see. Very interesting." He stood and walked down the stairs, looking Harry over. "Come, walk with me," he commanded, turning away and harry stared after him, confused.

"Better run along Harry-kun, he's not a man to be crossed," Ichimaru called out and the warning in his voice was clear.

Harry took a deep breath and headed off after the man, wishing Urahara had told him more about the ex-Captain and his goals. He kept slightly behind the Shinigami as they walked, he definitely didn't want him at his back! Then again, at the speeds they could move it wouldn't really matter.

"You have a piece of someone else's soul in you boy," Aizen commented as they stepped out onto a balcony and Harry got a look at the bright white city.

"I know," he said.

"How did that happen?"

"Why do you want to know?" Harry eyed him warily.

"I am a scientist and you Harry Potter, are unique."

"Yeah…that's not in any way a comforting thought." To his surprise that got a chuckle from the Shinigami. "Why am I here?"

"When preparing for war, new combatants are always a concern."

"Except I'm not a part of your war. I've got enough troubles without that." He wouldn't survive their kind of war. With surprise on his side, he could probably take a Hollow, even a weak Shinigami, or at least restrain them till help arrived.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Well, the boy was definitely proving interesting, though not in the way he had first assumed. There were few things he found disgusting, he had created a Hōgyoku and fed it hundreds of souls, had Hollowfied his fellow Shinigami…but to place a part of another soul into someone? Not even he would sanction that.

Obviously Urahara was attempting to separate them again but he doubted very much that it would work. The soul piece was too intertwined with the boys to be able to remove now; the only option would be to integrate it. Was his fellow ex-Captain unable to see that? He hid a smirk, he had the perfect way to deal with it and mess with their heads, always amusing.

"There is much work to do before your 'rescue' arrives," he told the teenager who eyed him warily.

"What kind of work?"

"Dealing with the foreign soul within yours," he told him, seeing his surprise. "Though I doubt you will like the method it is the only one, the shard has simply been with you too long and is too intertwined."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"No more than Urahara killed Kurosaki Ichigo, the rest will be up to you. It is but a small fragment, but it will be up to you to overpower it," he told him.

It would be interesting to see if he could, if he proved too weak he would be killed. Whoever had managed such a thing would be destroyed either by young Potter or himself. He began walking again, pleased that this time he needed no encouragement to follow. The boy was stubborn, perhaps as much as Kurosaki, but it seemed he was more aware of when it was not smart to show that.

He was not as powerful as Kurosaki but there was something else about him, something vaguely familiar. Something he had not seen in centuries…it was rather frustrating; it was right there…ah! Well, that likely explained how he had ended up in his condition, magic. So young Potter was a wizard, it was doubtful that would change anything.

Aizen led him into a large, empty, room. It was the room he used when creating his Arrancar to ensure no accidents. He had no desire to have to rebuild the city after all. He watched the teenager look around; he was good at hiding his emotions for someone so young. Without warning, he knocked him out of his body, sending his soul to its knees, gasping.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry looked down, saw the chain leading from his chest and he swallowed, looking over and sure enough…that was his body. The chain was connected, he was still alive. And his wand was in his holster, could he even use it in soul form? He looked up to see Aizen's impassive face watching him. The man looked him over and then went over to a pedestal, returning with something that made the hair on the back of Harry's neck stand at attention, whatever it was…it was powerful, more than even the Philosopher's Stone had been, more than the ancient Goblet of Fire…Hogwarts wards… it wasn't evil or good but it felt like it had been used for both.

"Do you know what this is?"

"No," Harry had the sinking feeling he was about to find out the hard way.

"This is the Hōgyoku, you can feel its power, can't you?"

"I think a slug could sense that," he told the man, seeing a flash of amusement at his comment.

"There is only one way to deal with the soul entangled with yours. Either your soul wins, or it does."

Harry opened his mouth to ask what he meant only to find his jaw locking, fighting back a scream of pain, as the rock glowed. He collapsed fully to the smooth ground, hands clawing at it, body thrashing.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aizen watched, actually impressed by the boys pain threshold, most would be screaming. The door opened and he looked up to see Gin peeking his head in.

"Oh my, that looks painful," he commented as he walked over.

"What is it Gin?"

"Szayelaporro's instruments have picked up some interesting readings."

"Faster than I expected."

The boy finally screamed, writhing on the ground and they both glanced at him.

"A new Arrancar to make them mad and break their hearts?" Gin asked cheerfully.

"No, we shall return him to Urahara when they come for him. Let them puzzle over my motives," he answered watching the boy. There was a rather strong possibility that should he survive, he would join Ichigo as a 'substitute' which could prove quite interesting. How would magic impact Shinigami powers?

"So what's all this then?" Gin asked, studying the writhing form.

"Can you not sense it? Another soul intertwined with his."

Gin whistled, eyes actually opening in shock. "Well…that's rather disgusting."

Aizen chuckled at his reaction. "Indeed."

They both leapt back as suddenly the air ignited and a strange cry filled the air. A bird unlike anything they'd ever seen appeared, hovering over the thrashing boy, a bird that seemed to be made of fire. A second blast and another bird was there, this one a snow white colour with some black markings on its wings but definitely the same species as the first, in its talons was a sword.

"I'm guessing this is not part of the plan," Gin offered, hand on Shinsō.

Aizen stared at the two avians, he had no doubt they were magical in nature. How had they appeared in his base? The fire coloured one was obviously ensuring they kept their distance and something about those flames made him wary of attempting to cross without preparation. The white bird cried out and then swooped towards young Harry, the word held point down, impaling the soul form even as the bird vanished in white flames which surrounded the boy before vanishing.

"Well, that was unexpected."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Kisuke looked around at the sea of dunes they had arrived in. He pulled out his equipment as the others spread out to secure the area. While he had the ability to create a Gargantua, he had never actually done so, not wishing to tip his hand, so they were working with very little information. He was hoping to lock onto and track Harry's magic as it would make him unique among the Hollows that populated the place. The faster they could find him, the less time Aizen had to harm him.

_TBC…_

_Short I know, but I've been fighting this chapter for ages so figured I should post it. _


End file.
